(1) Field of the Invention
My invention pertains to beverage preparation, more specifically pour-in, drip type coffee makers.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Almost every office or place of business now has a coffee maker of one type or another. Increasingly, the coffee maker used is a pour-in, drip type due to their ease of operation and low cost. On the other hand, some offices and almost all food service establishments use coffee makers which are tied into the plumbing such that by depressing a button, a pre-measured charge of cold water is introduced into the coffee maker.
The workings of either type of coffee maker are substantially the same. There is a reservoir for water which is kept at about 200.degree. F. by heating elements. Cold water is added to the reservoir by introducing the water to a pouring tray which transmits the water, by means of a funnel spout, to a level below the hot water. The hot water is then forced to a higher level. This higher level places the water over the top of a siphon tube, generally located near the middle of the reservoir. The siphon leads, by means of a spray tube, to a spray head which disperses the hot water over coffee grounds in a basket, where the coffee is brewed, filtered and ultimately introduced into a carafe.
After a coffee maker has been in use for a time, deposits begin to collect on elements in the reservoir, especially the siphon, heating element and thermocouple. Ultimately, these deposits must be cleaned, or the elements replaced if the coffee maker is to continue to function well. It is usually the case that these elements can be fairly easily cleaned if they can be reached. The location of these elements and their attachment to the housing of the coffee maker make it much harder to get to these parts than to effect their cleaning.
Before filing this application, applicant caused a search of the prior art to be made at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. That search revealed the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,334--Martin PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,477--Raiteri PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,118--Hausman PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,949--Reynolds et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,271--Tarrant PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,724--Lorang PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,446--Raiteri PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,934--Martin PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,902--Neuman PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,716--Lorang PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,050--Brown PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,795--Ackerman
The problems mentioned above, keeping the elements in the hot water reservoir clean, and access to them when necessary, have been recognized by previous patentees.
LORANG, U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,716, discloses an apparatus for reducing escape of water vapor from coffee makers by providing an outlet vent and looped tube wherein water condenses ultimately to be redelivered into the reservoir.
MARTIN, U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,334, discloses a pour-in type coffee maker wherein the water discharge line opening is located at the top of a closed hot water reservoir such that when cold water is poured into a pour tray, the reservoir gets full then as water is forced through the tube, cold water goes into the reservoir.
NEUMAN ET AL. forms the siphon tube by encircling a straight tube with a larger tube formed in the bottom of a pouring tray.
TARRANT discloses a "siphon cap" into which the siphon extends.
REYNOLDS ET AL. discloses a coffee maker with a primary goal of preventing drippage between the hot water reservoir and an upper housing. The reservoir is situated beside the spray head and mineral deposits are avoided by siphoning hot water to the spray tube through a discharge outlet chamber which is larger than the tube.
Applicant believes the other patents are not as pertinent as those specifically discussed.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, a chasis assembly supporting heating elements, thermostat and other electrical components which may be removed and replaced as a unit, is unknown in the art. Neither has a siphon tube been disclosed having an inverted U-shaped top to help keep the siphon clean.